


Stay With Me

by Selenic



Category: NCIS
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ghosts, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 09:12:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2576060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenic/pseuds/Selenic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even his gut told him to prepare for the worst, but Gibbs refused to believe he'd lose Tony. Not like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Goddess47](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess47/gifts).



> This is my belated Halloween treat for Goddess47, who said I could do whatever I was in the mood for :) I seem to recall you liking Gibbs/Tony, and I felt like writing another Halloween story with them so I hope you enjoy this treat ^_^ Unbeta'd, and I claim no real medical knowledge of anything, so all mistakes are mine :)
> 
> Crossposted [on my LJ](http://selenic76.livejournal.com/48833.html)

 

Stay With Me

 

Thirty-seven hours.

Thirty-seven hours of Tony being in a post-surgery coma, and Gibbs hadn't slept for a second of it. His world had shrunken into a chair in a dark corner, while Tony lay on the hospital bed in a pool of soft light, only a few steps away, but so far out of his reach. Just looking at him hurt in ways Gibbs couldn't even begin to describe.

The doctors had done all they could, patched up the gunshot wounds, replaced the blood Tony had lost, and assured Gibbs that with time he would make a full recovery. But what they couldn't explain was why he was still unconscious—it was unlike any coma they had seen. All brain scans indicated that he should have woken by now. 

At a glance Tony looked like he was just sleeping, but the illusion was broken by all the IV lines running into his arms and the wires leading into sensors attached to his skin. 

"Come on, Tony, wake up," Gibbs whispered, so softly the words were nearly lost in the hum of the machinery. "You beat the goddamn plague once, why not this?" He was almost hoarse from talking. That was supposed to help, right? Tony would hear him and come back, or so everyone kept telling Gibbs.

Others more comfortable with words had taken their turn first, Abby staying the longest, sitting by Tony's side until she could barely keep her eyes open. Gibbs had ordered McGee to take her home for the night, and then had taken over the task.

Getting the words out had been hard at first, but once he'd started Gibbs found he couldn't stop. So he'd talked, about everything and anything—how the case was going, about the new boat he was going to build, how terrible the hospital coffee tasted; even about how the kids staying in the hospital had come around trick-or-treating, and one of them had stopped by the door and asked why Tony was sleeping through the best part of Halloween. He'd gone on for hours on end until he'd finally run out of things to say. Now, Gibbs was running out of hope too.

One of the nurses came in with a cup of coffee, and she silently handed it to Gibbs. He took it and nodded a thank you, grateful for the gesture even if the coffee was abysmal. While he took a sip of the cup and grimaced, she went on to check on Tony's monitors and IV's. Gibbs recognized her face; she'd been to see Tony several times during his stay, and always remembered to say a few words to him.

Right now she was telling Tony that it was rude to keep his friends waiting for so long, and that if he didn't wake up soon, she would have to start slipping sleeping pills into the tired-looking man's coffee. Gibbs had to smile at that. She'd been around so many times she must have been pulling a double shift, and was probably just as worn out as Gibbs, if not even more, but she still gave him an encouraging smile on her way out. Gibbs downed the rest of the coffee, threw the cup away and continued waiting, hoping the caffeine would keep weariness at bay for a while longer.

He'd seen Tony in a hospital so many times, for reasons varied in severity, but this was different. Not once had Gibbs felt so helpless or been this scared, not even when he'd had to practically order Tony not to die of the plague. For the first time, Gibbs wasn't sure Tony would pull through. Even his gut told him to prepare for the worst, but Gibbs refused to believe he'd lose Tony. Not like this.

He'd long ago accepted that Tony might leave the team one day, and that despite his vagabond nature, Tony would one day find the one he belonged with and settle down. Gibbs was also very aware of the fact that death was a constant companion in their line of work. He'd always known there were a dozen ways he could and would be losing Tony over the years, but not one of them had included watching him just fade away when he should have been fine.

The clock on the wall hit midnight, marking the passing of the last day of October—and stopped. Gibbs suddenly got a weird chill up his spine. Everything had fallen too silent; no footsteps or chatter in the corridors outside the room, not a beep from the machines. Even the air somehow tasted stale and old.

"He's tough, I'll give him that," someone said, voice low and rough with age. Gibbs searched for the source of it but saw no-one. "But the boy's slippin', probie, and we ain't got too much time. Can't hold the world still forever."

From the corner of his eye Gibbs saw a pair of men's shoes materialize next to his chair, and as Gibbs took a better look the rest of the man followed, all the way up to the familiar, unshaven and sun-weathered face. It was oddly comforting to see it again, even if it couldn't be real. He'd seen his fair share of weird dreams, but this image was too vivid to be one of them.

"You're dead, Mike," Gibbs told him, but stating the fact didn't make the mirage disappear. Mike Franks just chuckled, and leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about All Hallows' Eve, the barriers between different planes of existence are weaker tonight, and all that kind of crap," Franks said dryly. "Never thought much of such nonsense, but here I am. Though it wasn't easy, the powers that be don't really encourage this sort of thing—but you know me, I've never been too good with taking orders I don't like." His gaze moved on to Tony's quiescent form on the bed, and Gibbs saw a shadow of sadness cross his face.

"Is he..." Gibbs couldn't say it, didn't want to think about it.

"Not yet, but if you don't do something about it soon, then yeah, he's gonna die," Franks replied grimly. Gibbs quickly got up from his chair and strode to Tony's bedside, afraid it might already be too late.

Nothing had changed; even Tony seemed frozen in time with everything else. The monitors weren't working so Gibbs checked Tony's pulse from his wrist—the skin under his fingers was warm, and Gibbs had to wait for a terrified, long moment to feel even one faint sign that Tony's heart was still beating. The rhythm was slow, nearly suspended by whatever Franks had done, but still ticking away towards the moment it would stop completely. Gibbs had no idea what he was supposed to do to prevent that from happening, but he was sure of one thing.

"I would die for him," Gibbs told Franks, and he meant every word.

"Always so eager to die for others, aren't you?" Franks said as walked over to the other side of the bed. He grabbed the railing and sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Like that was the only option you have. You really that oblivious or just plain stupid?"

"Stop wasting time, Mike!" Gibbs growled, glaring angrily at the man. "Tell me what I need to do!" Tony was hardly even breathing anymore.

"No, _you_ need to tell _him_ what to do," Franks replied, tilting his head briefly towards Tony, while giving Gibbs a stern look. "You knew how he felt about you. All these years you just kept him waiting, using whatever excuse you could—'I'm not right for him', 'he'd be too much trouble anyway', 'I don't have time for a relationship'—while still dating others with deplorable success. You even hid behind your rules, built a wall out of them to stand between yourself and what you wanted."

"I had to!" Gibbs shouted. Because if he had given in, there would have been no going back; it had been easier to just let things be, than to risk fucking up everything like he had so many times. Gibbs had fooled himself into thinking that Tony would eventually forget all about the man he could not have. Guess he hadn't fared any better than Gibbs in that regard—he had even tried running away to Mexico once, from the job, from Tony, to no avail. Franks had chided him about being stupid even then, and many times since, but Gibbs had been too stubborn to take heed.

"And the worst part of it all is that he always read you like an open book, _and he believed you_!" Franks yelled straight into his face. "And he _still_ stayed, 'cause he could see you needed him to." Gibbs had seen Franks angry before, but never like this. Though the words had been loud, the look on the other man's face was one of grief and worry.

"But now he's so tired, of waiting, of hurting," Franks continued more quietly, gently even. "There's something calling out to him, and he's wondering what he's got holding him back here." Gibbs turned to look at Tony. A small, questioning frown had appeared on the sleeping man's peaceful face, almost like he was hearing the conversation being held over him.

"People like us, we don't get many chances to meet people like him, Jethro," Franks said. "Who see the tough bastard and know there's more to us than that. Who know what living with us will turn out to be like, and still decide to stick around. You've been lucky enough to meet that kind of person twice, and I'll be damned if I let you make the mistake of letting this one go. So tell him, now, because this is your last chance."

Gibbs saw Tony's expression slowly became more pleading. His mouth moved a fraction as if to speak, but unable to form words, and the sight was both heartening and heartbreaking.

Of all the rules Gibbs had, there was only one that applied here. _Sometimes, you're wrong_. He'd been wrong to assume that he'd know what was best for Tony, wrong to assume they'd be destined to fail without even giving this thing they had a try. Gibbs was tired too, of fighting himself every step of the way, and the last thing in the world he wanted was to let go of Tony ever again.

"I'm sorry, Tony." Gibbs whispered. He took Tony's hand into his own, and leaned down to rest their foreheads together, hoping Tony would still hear him, would listen, and would believe what he was about to say.

"Stay with me, Tony," Gibbs pleaded quietly. "Now, tomorrow, forever. Move in with me, make me watch those movies you always talk about, and I'll show you how to build a boat. Be my partner, not just by my side or on my six, but for all the bright days and dark nights to come. Stay with me, so I can finally hold you like I want to." Gibbs could feel Tony's fingers curl around his hand a little tighter.

"Stay with me, so I can tell you that I love you."

The few seconds of dead silence seemed to go on forever. 

Then clock began to tick again, the machines resumed their humming, and the steady noise of people talking and moving about drifted through the walls—and Tony gasped, drawing in air like he had forgotten how to breathe. Gibbs flinched back, and for the first time in over thirty-seven hours, saw the vibrant green of Tony's eyes. Their blurry gaze searched around until it focused on Gibbs, and then... 

Tony smiled, radiantly as ever. He tried to speak, but his mouth was dry and he ended up coughing. The monitors went nuts for a moment, blaring out in warning, and a second later the watchful nurse ran in. Gibbs took a step back and let her make sure Tony was fine and turn off the alarms. Then she offered Tony some water, while cheerily welcoming him back to the land of the living. Tony made a few attempts to get up, but she sternly but gently pushed him back down.

Gibbs just stood still and let relief wash over him—Tony was awake, and very much alive, and Gibbs was ready to collapse from exhaustion.

Franks still hung around a few feet from the bed, grinning as he watched the nurse bustling around Tony. He walked over to Gibbs, looking pleased and a little bit smug too.

"I'll be checking up on you two next year," he warned Gibbs, with a hint of both threat and promise in his voice, "so you better keep your word to him. And I'll see if I can bring along some other visitors with me, they've been waiting for a long time to see you." Gibbs didn't have to ask who Franks meant; he would be looking forward to that.

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Franks reached out his hand and smacked Gibbs on the back of the head. To be coming from a ghost the slap sure stung like he'd been hit for real. "See ya, probie," Franks said, and then gradually disappeared. The last to go was his grin, wide as the Cheshire cat's.

"But I need to talk with him! Hey, boss," Tony called out from the bed, sounding raspy and tired, but insistent. The nurse was still trying to restrain him, and Gibbs thought it best to intervene until she'd decide to sedate the troublesome man, and there was something that needed to done before either of them could get any sleep. He returned to the bedside on shaky feet, but happy.

"I'll take care of this," Gibbs told the nurse, unable to hide his smile. She sighed deeply, but smiled back at him anyways. With a final order to Tony to behave himself, she gave them the privacy they needed. Gibbs hoped she could get some rest soon too, and made a mental note to find out her name, and a way to thank her for all she'd done.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Tony grabbed Gibbs by the arm and pulled him down, face to face. "Ask me again," he pleaded softly, his green eyes a little uncertain as they looked up at Gibbs, even though he kept smiling like his face was going to split.

"Stay with me," Gibbs told him one more time—an order, a plea, a wish—everything wrapped into three little words, almost as important as the three to follow. "I love you."

"Always," Tony whispered, "'n you too." The last bit was mumbled against Gibbs' lips, the first of many kisses to come in the future. Gibbs would make sure of that.

~~~

When the nurse peeked in a few minutes later, she found both of them fast asleep; Tony peacefully in his bed, dreaming only ordinary dreams, and Gibbs in a chair that had been dragged next to it, their fingers laced together and holding on like they never intended to be parted. She smiled, then softly blew out into the air, and all the lights went out like candles.

"Happy Halloween, sweeties," she whispered, giggled, and vanished into shadows. Sometimes even Death was allowed to bend the rules, and she was a sucker for happy endings.

 

~~~ End ~~~

 

**Author's Note:**

> While this song wasn't the inspiration for the fic, about half-way through it started playing in my head and I couldn't get rid of it. So while there are certain similarities with the story, the connection to the song was purely subconscious at first :)
> 
> ['Stay' by Shakespeare's Sisters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tosky-ZNbRw)


End file.
